What does an air filter&comma; cabin air filter or fuel filter do&quest;All auto filters are designed to prevent harmful debris from entering any parts where air and fluid flows&comma; including your engine&comma; radiator&comma; fuel lines and more&period; Once a filter is no longer performing its intended function&comma; decreased performance - even engine damage - can result&period;

You've been reaping the benefits of filters your entire life&period; If you've ever used a furnace or air conditioning system at home&comma; you've had to replace a filter from time to time&period; If you haven't&comma; well&comma; you might want to go and check those out too&period; You can send us a thank you letter later - if you want&period;

Cabin filter&colon; An implementation that began appearing in vehicles in 2002&comma; it prevents dust&comma; pollen&comma; dirt and other pollutants from entering your car through your A&sol;C and heat vents&period;

How often should an air&comma; cabin air or fuel filter be replaced&quest;Generally&comma; it's recommended that you get your filters replaced every 12 months or 12&comma;000 miles&comma; but check your owner's manual for specifics about your vehicle's filter replacement schedules&period;

What happens to air&comma; cabin air or fuel filters as they get older&quest;Any filter - home&comma; auto or otherwise - will eventually age and become contaminated with pollutants and debris&period; When that happens&comma; the filter loses its effectiveness and hinders the performance of the parts it is supposed to protect&period;

When your air filter is dirty&comma; your engine is forced to work harder&comma; resulting in poor fuel economy&comma; higher emissions and&comma; possibly&comma; a loss of engine power&period; In turn&comma; as a worst-case scenario&comma; a clogged cabin air filter can lead to under-performance of the A&sol;C system&comma; causing weak air flow from the cabin vents&period; It can also lead to unwanted&comma; unfiltered air in the cabin&period; As for a mucked-up fuel filter&comma; that'll land you with a weakened fuel supply to injectors&comma; a reduction in engine power&comma; poor acceleration and lousy fuel economy - not to mention a potential breakdown&period;

What is the benefit of replacing an air&comma; cabin air or fuel filter&quest;The benefits are car-saving and performance-enhancing&period; They protect vital car parts by keeping harmful debris at bay so your car runs right&period; Filters also ensure your car runs more efficiently&period; The cleaner your filter&comma; the more it allows for the maximum flow of air or fluid through the system&period; Like a clogged drain&comma; a dirty filter starves the system of the vital air or fluid and makes each system it protects work harder to do its job&period; Once filters are dirtied&comma; they should be replaced&period;

Step-By-Step Guide For Auto Cabin Air Filter Replacement

STEP 1Open the glove box&period;Open the glove box and take out the contents&period;

STEP 2Remove the limiting stop arm&period;The limiting stop arm is on the right side of the glove box&period; Just slide it off the pin&period;

STEP 3Release the glove box&period;Grasp the front and back of the glove box&comma; squeezing them toward each other until the side clamps pop free&period; Now that the sides are free&comma; you can drop down the entire glove box&comma; so you can see the faceplate to the cabin air filter channel&period;

STEP 4Remove the old cabin air filter&period;Lift the latches on the sides of the faceplate and slide it out of the way&comma; opening up the filter compartment&period; Now you can simply pull out the old cabin air filter&comma; being careful not to scatter any dust&comma; dirt and trash from the filter into your car&period; As you remove the old filter&comma; notice which way the arrows are facing&period; They indicate the direction of the airflow&period;

STEP 5Clean filter chamber and check seals and gaskets&period;Before you install a fresh&comma; new HUADI PLOW cabin air filter&comma; vacuum the filter chamber&comma; then wipe it with a damp cloth to remove any stray contaminants&period; Check the condition of gaskets and seals to make sure they don't need changing as well&period;

STEP 6Install the new cabin air filter&period;Make sure the new cabin air filter matches the old one&period; Double check to make sure the arrows on the new filter are pointing in the same direction as the old filter you took out&comma; and slide the new filter in&period;

STEP 7Replace and secure the glove box&period;Once the filter's in place&comma; just replace the faceplate&comma; snap the glove box back in place&comma; reinstall the limiting stop&comma; and put everything back in the glove box&period;